Ernabella Arts Inc.

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Margaret’s Father’s Country

My father’s place is Mt. Liebe, sandhill country.  The Wanapi rests there under the surface of the creek.  When we go to visit that country, the Wanapi stirs underneath the ground and bubbles rise up in the water.  He is there to protect that place.  We speak to that Wanapi in our language and he knows then that it is us. It’s okay for us to be there and the bubbles settle back down.  Close to this creek is where the Arkaryi women are sitting.  This is an important women’s site.  I can’t speak too much about that, as it would be dangerous to disturb those women.

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Tjakura Tjukurpa – Lexie’s Story

This Tjukurpa is from Lexie’s grandfather’s homeland called Kunytjanu, located just south of Pipalyatjara near the SA border with WA. It’s a story about tjakura, the great desert skink, a small orange lizard found across the APY Lands. 

 Tjakura has a lot of grandchildren looking after him. One day, a long time ago, he saw too many strangers, an army coming from Mutitjulu. They came and found the tjakura and they killed him. All the kids made a cemetery there for the tjakura. This is a really big story that goes from Kunytjanu to Aralya.

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Kulata and Kali (Spear & Boomerang)

My father told me this story, it’s a dream he had. There was a man who was travelling for a long time. He was travelling with kulata (spear) and kali (boomerang) because someone was waiting there for fighting.

In the middle of the way someone came making problems and trouble. All the kulata gone, all the kali gone. That place is still there and the kangaroo and emu are still drinking there at that waterhole.

This is tjukurpa wiru – a good story. There are some stories I can’t tell you.

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Ngayuku Walka / My Design

Walka means design or pattern. Artists use this title to describe artworks that are pattern based rather than descriptive or telling a story.

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Kulata Tjuta – Kungkarangkalpa Freddy’s Story

Kungkarangkalpa means the Seven Sisters. This is an extensive creation story that relates to the Pleiades constellation in the southern hemisphere. The story traverses Australia taking on different forms, however Freddy’s part of the story is from his father’s country west of Atila (Mt Connor). For this part of the story a man called Nyiru is chasing the sisters as he wants to sleep with the oldest sister. All the younger sisters are deeply afraid of him. 

Nyiru makes kulata tjuta (many spears) and leaves them leaning up against a tree. When the sisters are travelling they find the spears resting there and realise that the wati kura (bad man) is nearby. They get frightened and run away. Eventually, to escape Nyiru, the sisters fly into the sky where they turn into stars and form the constellation.

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Pulukangka (Stockman)

Mr Jack was a stockman. He likes to tell stories about his time as a stockman on nearby cattle stations and as a young fella working on the sheep station at the Ernabella Mission. Mr Jack says about those days ‘good memories! good times! a time staying strong in my heart’. His artwork pays tribute to the stockmen sitting around a campfire drinking a kapati (cup of tea) and telling stories like Mr Kulyuru’s time at the rodeo in Alice Springs or Mr Ingkatji on his horse and cart. 

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Kulata and Kali (Spear & Boomerang)

My father told me this story, it’s a dream he had. There was a man who was travelling for a long time. He was travelling with kulata (spear) and kali (boomerang) because someone was waiting there for fighting.

In the middle of the way someone came making problems and trouble. All the kulata gone, all the kali gone. That place is still there and the kangaroo and emu are still drinking there at that waterhole.

This is tjukurpa wiru – a good story. There are some stories I can’t tell you.

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Ngayuku Ngura – My Country

Artists use this title when they are depicting their Country. It might be a representation of a particular place or of different aspects of that area. The artist uses a combination of colour and design to indicate variations in the landscape. Inspiration is drawn from all elements of Country and might include bush tucker, water holes, meeting places, rock formation, birds or animals.

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Kulata Tjuta – Kungkarangkalpa Freddy’s Story

Kungkarangkalpa means the Seven Sisters. This is an extensive creation story that relates to the Pleiades constellation in the southern hemisphere. The story traverses Australia taking on different forms, however Freddy’s part of the story is from his father’s country west of Atila (Mt Connor). For this part of the story a man called Nyiru is chasing the sisters as he wants to sleep with the oldest sister. All the younger sisters are deeply afraid of him. 

Nyiru makes kulata tjuta (many spears) and leaves them leaning up against a tree. When the sisters are travelling they find the spears resting there and realise that the wati kura (bad man) is nearby. They get frightened and run away. Eventually, to escape Nyiru, the sisters fly into the sky where they turn into stars and form the constellation.